Hi all
I have been in the Consulting game for nine years and i am about to be an M3 at accenture. this is the highest manager grade before shooting for senior manager.
I am being pitched at 'Associate' level at Booz. Is this right? Shouldn't i aim for Senior Associate with my experience?
the pay is the same at accenture and booz for M2 vs associate, respectively. is it worth forgoing a pay rise to get the BAH name and experience?
TIA for any guidance
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What area of Accenture will you be in?
Personallyfor exit ops i'd go for BAH.
Out of interest, what is the m3 package?
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I'm applying for an Associate position at BAH.
I am currently an M2 at Accenture. I will be an M3 in September as part of the year-at-level rise. The following Septemeber (2008), I will be eligible for Senior Manager, which is the next level on the Accenture career ladder. Depending on previous years' performance, M3's can earn between 75-90k (that includes the car allowance).
My question is should I be shooting for the Senior Associate level at BAH? Its also not clear as to whether there are levels within the levels.
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It is very rare for Booz to hire directly at Senior Associate level - even rarer for them to take someone from Accenture (which they view as an inferior company). The view is that you would effectively have to be completely retrained if you have worked for a Deloitte/ACN etc. It might be worth the risk but Booz is becoming "big" again and there are enormous numbers of Associates floating around. You would be banking on your ability to get promoted before exiting. That said, Accenture is also a tough company to transition out of effectively so there are weaknesses with both options.
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Har har har, join Booz and you'll probably be 'counselled out' within 2 years or so. It's their business model, you know. Most people don't stay there for long.
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The key thing is I am bringing to Booz a specialisation that they are crying out for.
I have been told that the jump from associate to senior associate is based on how much you sell. I have already sold at accenture and have sales experience.
The Accenture M2 salary and Booz salary I am being offered is pretty much identical. The downer is that as an Associate I don't get a bonus, which I do at Accenture (albeit miniscule).
I would be happier coming in as a Senior Associate as this would be a step up, but would the pace be beyond me? What are the expectations of a Senior Associate at Booz?
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Uhm.... you were told that an associate at BAH doesn't get a bonus?? If that's true, then I think you'll find that somebody's trying to screw u.
If I were u I would try and get in as a senior associate, there is a world of difference in status, job security and pay between the associates and the SAs. Expect to abandon your social life however (and I mean abandon).
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they are very good (even better than ACN!) at selling themselves. be very careful. this does not sound like a brilliant career move to me.
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Thanks for the advice so far.
I haven't spoken to BAH yet, just a recruitment consultant. He told me there is no bonus for the level I'd be pitched at (Associate) - but I think he may have been confused.
I would be going in to Booz as a subject matter expert (SME), because the blue-sky guys are getting caught out in this particular area. I was told that the career model is the same (although instead of the MBA, my SME counts), but I would be expected to bring myself to speed on the strat side of things and selling - as well as the consultant skills that are needed (which I already have).
The org is much smaller than Accenture in London and gives me a greater opportunity to make my mark.
What is the age range at Booz? Accenture is a very young org - common to see Senior Execs (partner-level) in mid-30's. Is Boox more grey-haired?
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in my view, booz doesn't have subject matter experts at associate level. it totally flies in the face of their career development model. they like to have people with relevant skills on projects, but i very much doubt you will ever hear the term 'subject matter expert' uttered in the same sentence as 'associate'. a senior associate could be an expert in a particular area though. i do not think they will value your 'expert' skills as much as you think. BAH consultants are largely generalists, one week you can be valuing a car factory or doing process improvement at a bank, the next week you can be helping someone sell more yoghurt pots.
re: age - booz has a mix. other than at partner level, you can probably guess someone's age pretty accurately based on their level in the company (that's my view anyway)
it also sounds like your recruiter doesn't have a clue what goes on inside BAH - no bonuses at associate level indeed!!
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bonus for Associates is 25%
they are gradually changing the business model to bring in subject matter experts at associate level. The initial attempts are a little confused, however as they are not able to reflect the salaries within the sectors - they too high in some sectors and too low in others. It is a short term option for you if you go for it.
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true - Booz don't have SMEs, but that is needing to change because these days blue-sky entails an understanding of technology.
So, one area of business they specialise in requires a mix of SME and strat thinking. Booz has realised that they can grow in this area (and believe me, there is a lot of money to be made in this area too).
My other concern is that being an SME (and not the traditional blue-sky MBA), I may be seen as the second class citizen of Booz.
BTW, are you London based? (assuming you work for BAH). Do you know of the service offerings?
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true - Booz don't have SMEs, but that is needing to change because these days blue-sky entails an understanding of technology.
So, one area of business they specialise in requires a mix of SME and strat thinking. Booz has realised that they can grow in this area (and believe me, there is a lot of money to be made in this area too).
My other concern is that being an SME (and not the traditional blue-sky MBA), I may be seen as the second class citizen of Booz.
BTW, are you London based? (assuming you work for BAH). Do you know of the service offerings?
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HReal - why do you refer to it as a short term option?
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BTW, is there a car allowance at Associate level or does that start at Senior Associate too?
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... in answer to Para.... the most likely outcome is that you take you BAH experience, combine with ACN and get out after a year or two. Advancing within BAH is particularly difficult, not least if you are not in the "mainstream" as it seems you will not be.
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Thanks HReal.
I'm not one to jump ship too often - been with Accenture for 7 years - but it seems the best way of moving up the ladder.
Are there a lot of non-maintstream Boozers? My fear is being treated as a second-class citizen, which can be quite alienating.
Already it seems I wont qualify for the regular benetis as the others - like no bonus as associate level (unless recruiter got it wrong). He also said no car allowance at associate - do the others get this?
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